Torsion-spring for vehicles



no Model.)

B. D. SHAW.

TORSION SPRING FOR VEHICLES;

Patented Nov. 2, 1886.

' N. PUERS. Fholo-lilhugnpher, wmh m n. c

: NITED STATES PAT T OFFICE.

BENJAMIN DANA srIAw, or WATERFORD, wAsrrINeroN COUNTY, OHIO, ASSIGNOB or ONE-HALF TO A. w. HAYWARD, or cHIoAeo, ILLINoIs.

TORSION-SPRING FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 352,071, dated November 2, 1886.

Application filed J'une 29, 1886. Serial No. 206,623. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN DANA SHAW, a citizen of the United States, residing in Waterford township, in the county of Wash ington and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in To rsiou- Springs for Vehicles; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The invention will first be described in connection with the drawings, and then pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view showing my torsionspring applied to a vehicle, and Fig. 2 a detail view of the spring itself. i

In the drawings, Arepresents the couplingpole or the body of a wagon, both being un- I necessary on the same. vehicle; B, the axles,

and G the wheels. V

DD are a pair of cross bars-rigidly attached to the body or couplingpole, and E is my improved torsion-spring.

Each spring consists of only one steel rod, d, or of two steel rods, (1 d, of which the first is bent to go through the bore of wheel where no axle is used. With an axle, rod 01 is attached thereto at 1, carried thence to 2 on the front cross-bar, where it is secured to turn, thence along said bar to 3, where it is also secured to turn, thence alongside or along under the bed or body. The second rod, (1, is first started at 5, carried across to the cross-bar D, where'it is secured to turn, and thence along said bar to a suitable distance and fastened so as not to turn, or toturn only with a little play. The ends of the bars (I cl are connected by alink, 10, which is'movable along the arms 11 and 12 from 13 to 4 or from 5to 14:, in order to regulate the length and stiffness of the spring. The other springs are similar and attached in a corresponding manner, one for each wheel.

i The load rests on the cross-bars D D, and

the axle as well as cross-bars are all connected.

by the springs. This gives the desired strength or together, up and down, without jolting the load.

If the right-hand wheel moves up, the end of spring in its bore must also go up, thus twisting the first rod from 2 to 3, while the arm 11 of rod (1 cannot rise if the link runs from l to 14; This makes a short stiff spring, while one with a minimum of stiffness is obtained and allows the wheels to move independently by arranging link 10 on arms 11 12, so as to give the same torsion on each rod. A man soon learns by practice to regulate the torsion with great nicety, so that the rods will twist proportionately to their size and length alike along their whole length, the rod (Z from 2 to 3 and the rod d from (Ho 7.

Inorder to place the load at different heights from the axles, links of different lengths are employed. The shorter the link the higher will the load be raised from the axle, and the reverse.

The axles are coupled so that they may move independently and accommodate the motion of any wheel at its center, as the end of the spring-arm is made to move back and up in passing over an obstacle.

I The advantages of my torsion vehicle'spring are: First, each wheel has its own independent spring; second, the climbing motion of the springs assists materially in surmounting obstacles and producing a more pleasant action;

third, the load or bed of vehicle can be let down low for low wheels or raised high for large wheels, so that the latter will run freely I motion and also the power to place the bed at different heights from the axle by the use of the first rod only, in this case running the link from 4 to bed or back cross piece at or near Li.- Again, the second rod, d, may be placed on same side of axle as the first rod, d,

or on the opposite side, its arm 12 extending ening of the spring, as I can get the climbing forward toward the first rod, d, or back away from it, so that the bearing of the load (which is on the cross-bar 1) this rod is attached to) may be close to the hind end of the bed, or farther forward, enabling the body to extend well behind the axle or only about to it, as the nature of the vehicle demands, and for the front axle it enables me to place the wheels or axle back of the king-bolt, so that I can turn shorter with same width of bed when I use wheels which do not turn under the bed. The arm 12 of this second rod, d, may or may not be connected to the axle by another arm hinged to it at 5, and extending down to the axle or to first rod, (1, where it enters the bore of the wheel, or where it is attached to the axle. Then by allowing some play or turn to the rod d where it is fastened to crossbar D, or some play of the arm 12 where it is hinged or secured to axlearm, and by running link from 4 to cross-bar at or near 14, I will get this kind of a spring: first, the torsion or strength of the first rod, d, only until the arm 12 at point 5 comes to its bearing, where it is fastened to the axle-arm; then I get the torsion or strength of the second rod, d, added to that of the first rod; by using two links, one link between the arms 11. and 12, so as to start with an even torsion, the whole length of both rods, (the longest and easiest spring,) then another link running from 4 to 14, thus giving three powers of spring. To make more plain,

suppose I have a link running from 13 to 5 which is taut and another running from 4 to 14 which is slack when I commence loading. As I load the bed the arm 12 at point 5 moves up, letting point 4 move up until link from 4 to 14 is taut. Then as I load heavier point 5 goes down with the bed until it comes to its bearing, where it is connected with the axlearm. It will be noticed that I get, first, the torsion of both rods, ora spring which is equal to the length of both rods; then when theload tightens the link from 4 to-14 the torsion of the second rod is taken off, and I only get the length of spring in first rod, which is twice as stiff as I started with; then when the load bears down until arm 12 at point 5 comes to its axlebearing I add the stiffness of this second rod to the first. Hence as I commence loading I get, first, the torsion of the first rod as relieved by the torsion of the second rod; more load gives the torsion of the first rod only, and still more load gives the torsion or strength of the second rod added to that of the first rodthatis, three powers of spring, or from a baby spring (as it were) to a ton spring or morewithout changing links or connections.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the axle, of the cross-bars D D and the springs E E, all connected together and adapted to operate in the manner described.

2. In a vehicle torsion-spring, the link 10, made movable along the arms 11 and 12 from 13 to 4 and from 5 to 14, to regulate the length and stiffness of the spring, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN DANA. SHAW.

\Vi tn esses:

War. H. LEEPER, Var. O. SMILEY. 

